La Derecha Diario A top-flight player was arrested after a violent altercation with the police
The footballer was charged with assault and resisting authority during a traffic stop. Meanwhile, the club he plays for issued a statement in his defense
Defender Matías Orihuela, a recent addition to San Martín de San Juan, was detained on Monday morning in Mendoza after being involved in a serious incident with police officers during a traffic stop on Route 7, near Potrerillos, in the Luján de Cuyo district.
El momento de la detención de Orihuela
The former Atlético Tucumán player was charged with resisting authority and minor intentional injuries and is currently being held at Police Station No. 11. The incident occurred when the traffic police stopped a black pickup truck that had crossed a double yellow line. When asked for his documents, Orihuela, who was driving, allegedly got out with an aggressive attitude.
According to the official report, the footballer struck one of the officers with the vehicle door and then assaulted him with his fists. In addition, he refused to cooperate, tore up the report in front of the officers, and allegedly made threats. However, Orihuela denied the police version and claimed that he was assaulted without cause.
"I'm with my wife and my daughter, and now they're taking me into custody. If you know anyone who can help me here in Mendoza, they started assaulting me for no reason," can be heard in a WhatsApp audio the player sent after the incident. "My wife is a witness, I never disrespected anyone nor have I ever had a problem like this," he added.
Meanwhile, the prosecutor in the case, Horacio Iturbide, stated that the player said: "I was with my wife and my little girl enjoying my day off, they pulled me out of the truck and one of the police officers assaulted me for no reason."
San Martín de San Juan's statement
After the detention became known, the San Juan club released a statement in defense of the footballer: "As is public knowledge, the player from the Professional Squad, Matías Orihuela, was detained yesterday in the province of Mendoza due to an altercation with the police after being charged with an alleged traffic violation, acting (in our view) in an arbitrary and unlawful manner in depriving Orihuela of his liberty."
In addition, Verdinegro reported that they provided the player with a lawyer with jurisdiction in Mendoza to guarantee his right to a defense and added: "Awaiting the guarantees judge to hold the required hearing to decide on his release, which we believe should be granted immediately. Any updates will be communicated through the appropriate channels."
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